Journal of progress on my 1935 Ford pickup hot rod build

05/22/2014

It's all in the Details

I don't have a time for a full update today but you can expect something more substantial next week. The engine assembly is nearing completion & I'll be posting some great pictures of the end result (spoiler: it looks amazing). For now, how about a few pics of the odds & ends that have been getting attention over the last two months?

Here's one of the last pictures you'll see for a while of the assembled truck. It's nearly time to take it all apart for chrome, paint and final assembly

This little doo-dad is something Rudy fabricated at Fullerton Fabrication for the radius rods. It's also one of the cool little details that make this killer truck the sum of it's parts. Check the next pic for more details...

If you look closely at the bottom of this pic you'll see the hairpin bracket from the previous shot. Over the past ten years most builders of this style truck have bolted the hairpin to the frame through the body. Rudy opted for a fresh take this time around by installing these neat brackets just like they did in the old days. Also of note in this shot, check out how Jimmy White of Circle City Hot Rods fabricated the exhaust headers in such a a way that the bottom pipe perfectly matches the 5 degree angle of the top of the radius rod. I'm a sucker for these little details!

Another fine detail Rudy added to the truck is this subtle web behind the cab. Again, with builds of similar style owners often add "skirts" below the bed so that it doesn't look like it's floating behind the cab. Here, Rudy and I agreed we didn't need skirts as the 1940 Ford bed already sat well. To compliment the line that flows from the front portion of the frame to the cab Rudy fabricated these webs to continue the line of the cab into the rear of the frame

Close-up detail of the aforementioned web. I love the craftsmanship that goes into these killer parts. When we do final bodywork we won't fill in the top seam between the web and the pickup bed. Why? Because these are intended to look like a vintage part someone might have bought at their local speed shop circa 1955